THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1890.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8386, 14 October 1890, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1890.

Perhaps the moat serious and threatening element in the social and political position of these colonies is that there exists here a huge proletariat large number of men who have no patriotism of any kind—who have no interest in the country they live in, who have 110 ties to any place, who could leave tomorrow without a sigh of regret, who have no proporty, and who do not seek to acquire any beyond their weekly wacres. Their object in life, placed plainly and squarely before the world, is to obtain as high wages as possible, and to work as few hours as possible. To attain this, they conceive themselves at war with the capital of the country —that is, with the property accumulated in the colony by the settlers. The practical leader of this party, Mr. J. A. Millar, declared the other day that if he could not have his determination in regard to enforcing the demands of the unionists, he would "clear out of the country to-morrow." Mr. Millar lias shown himself to be possessed of a power which few men in the world have possessed, and that, at his word, thousands of men are prepared to throw up their means of livelihood, thus putting themselves and their wires and children at the risk of starvation. It is not to be doubted that his followers are like himself ; that the welfare and prosperity of New Zealand are of very little account to them; that they have but little interest in the colony. In any event, it is perilous for a country to have within it such a class of men, and the case is simply appalling when it is considered that these men have in their hands an enormous political power— how great, the approaching election will probably tell. This state of "things has for one of its principal causes, and also one of its effects, the large amount of borrowing which the colonies have indulged in. The growth of the colony should have closely followed settlement of the land. Immigration should have been a steady stream for many years, the majority of the immigrants settling on the land, the cities, and the manufactures carried on in them, growing as they were required to grow by the progress of an agricultural population. The public works scheme, and the mania for the establishment of premature manufactures, spoiled this natural progress. There arose a passion for building up i cities by " protected" manufactures, all ; at the cost of the settlers. Thus we have restricted settlement, and made it a hard thing, with the heavy taxation OR the Customs, for any agricultural

settler, dependent as he must be on the prices of Qfetside markets, to make ends meet. The vision was, that great cities were to be built up, and that the country settlers would get high prices for their produce from those who dwelt in them. But how were thosQ people of the cities to make their living f Every great country except England rests upon its agricultural population, but somehow people seem to have expected that we here, in a new land, would all at once become great in manufactures. In a colony, especially in a colony like New Zealand, favourable to small settlers, the object of ambition with every working-man should be to get out of the position of a wage-earner, and to be independent as a settler. This is in the power qf every mechanic, We are all to blame for the decrease of the colonising spirit. But whatever may be the reason, it is clear that we have now a large population not ''fixed to the soil," careless whether utter ruin may not come to the colony, so that they themselves may "clear out." And of late years a certain section of our politicians have striven by all means to place political powe- in the hands of these men, so that they might make Jaws affecting the property—perhaps confiscating the propertyof those who must live here and die here. A prominent politician of Victoria declared a few years ago that he hoped by legislative enactments on protection and hours of labour and rates of wages, to make that colony " the Paradise of the working man." The leaders of this party surely do not think that the grand object of human li fe, the condition of heaven, is the attainment of the power of dictating in respect to rates of wages and hours of work. The platform of the " labour party" has not yet been fully defined, but according to one exponent in the South, the cardinal point is, the nationalisation of the land. Not that the labour party are anxious to take up and cultivate land. If the men were so, it would be a fine thing for the colony, and also eventually for themselves. They could have land on most easy terms if they desired to become farmers. But then that would involve for some years a life of hard toil away from the attractions of a large town. What they desire is, practically to seize the land which hardworking men have been toiling at for the best part of half a century. That land has been improved by labour and capital; but then you have only to call that improvement "unearned increment," and immediately it becomes quite right and proper to confiscate it. The property tax is to be abolished. We should also take our stand on this plank if the abolition were to be carried out by retrenchment. But labour candidates are not strong on economy, and they propose to substitute a land tax on the " unimproved value." {Some years ago we had a land tax, and the total amount it produced was between £30,000 and £40,000. How the amount is to be increased by ten no person has yet taken the trouble to show. A labour candidate at Dunedin a few evenings ago "advocated that the land should be owned by the State, and that perpetual lease only should be granted, holdings not to exceed 100 acres." Another point was that the State was to " lend money to the farmers to enable them to pay off all their mortgages." How the money to do that was to be obtained the candidate for political honours did not say, but it would surely bo worth his while to tell us all about it, as the amount required would amount to ten or fifteen millions. Government is also to "subsidise shipping for export." Then, according to an official labour declaration issued from Wellington, the State is to take over and to work the whole of the coal mines. And as, of course, all this programme would be carried out by a Government led by Sir Robert Stout, or someone holding his principles, the labour agitators would have everything under complete control. That would at all events be the Paradise of King Millar, for at a word from him not an ounce of coal would be produced. Then, indeed, could he say "I am the Government."

Harebrained and utterly impracticable as all these things are, it will not do merely to pooh-pooh the agitation. Men are banding themselves in all parts of the colony to carry into effect a state of Socialism. It is for once the genuine colonists of New Zealand against those who are not colonists, and who could "clear out" to-morrow with no sacrifice either of property or of sentiment.

An announcement is made by cable from Vienna that Conrad Siegerkranz lias been appointed Lord Chief Justice of Samoa. Who liejiiay be, we have no information, but it is to be hoped he is the right man, and that he will soon be at his post. The treaty made some time since at Berlin with respect to the affairs of Samoa left the appointment of the Chief Justice to the King of Sweden, .-is a disinterested person. The Chief Justice lias much to do in giving practical effect to the provisions of the treaty, which can scarcely be said to be in operation till he assumes the duties of his office. Samoa has been quiet since the treaty was concluded, and peace may be anticipated, at least for some years to come. The newlyappointed Chief Justice is apparently a German.

The miners on strike in New South Wales are showing great opposition to the employment of free labour, and in their efforts to dislodge the non-unionists have come into conflict with the military. They are also indulging in outrages of "a serious character. A stack of coal at Greta has been sob on fire and damages to the extent of several thousand pounds done. The Australian strikers have made an application to the London unions for a loan of £20,000. The London Unions propose to raise it by public subscriptions. Their success, judging by past attempts in this direction, is very dubious. The shipowners are now engaging non - unionist hands, and a general lock-out of unionists is anticipated. The latest development of the strike mania has occurred at Dublin, where the grave-diggers have struck owing to the secretary of their union having been dismissed. The Grand Duke Nicholas, of Russia, has become insane. Our London Correspondent states that Mr. Read Murphy's controlled torpedo is beginning to attract favourable attention at the hands of military and naval experts. The Admiralty and War Office have appointed a joint committee to inspect the trial of the weapon, which it is hoped will take place within a month or so. Considerable difficulty has been experienced by the inventor in securing the construction of a Whitehead torpedo. It would have been much cheapor and better had one of these weapons been purchased outright for experimental purposes. "Engineering" has gone to considerable expense in giving drawings of Mr. Murphy's invention, to which it attaches great importance. It states that if it performs on9-fourth of what is claimed for it, it. will be a great addition to naval armaments and coast defences. The Indian Government are thinking of establishing a second Molokai on one of the uninhabited islands in the Indian Ocean. It is feared that the lepers in India are increasing at the rate of about 30,000 every ten years. A policy of segregation is under consideration. The Colonial Office have taken a step towards the ultimate attainment of a uniform patent law. They have asked the leading colonial Governments if they are prepared to notify to the T.iperial authorities, and other colonial Governments, all patents and I trade marks registered within their respective jurisdictions, and to record tree of charge tJie patents, designs, and trademarks notified to them by the Imperial and I by other colonial Governments,

The London Times evidently has no sympathy with Baron Nordenskjold ana Baron Dickson's scheme for the exploration of the Antarctic region. It sarcastically remarks that people at the Antipodes who are interested in geographical discovery would be fulfilling their mission more faithfully if they looked to the terra, incognita of Central Australia in preference to worrying about wild-goose expeditions to the South Pole.

We have to hand the August number of the proceedings of the London Society for the Study of Inebriety. The report of the committee on Proprietary Alcoholic and Opiate Nostrums was submitted at the monthly meeting. A great portion of the proprietary preparations sold for special usefulness in the reformation of intemperate habits all and each contained alcohol, some as high as 42 per cent. The president said : He had known a great deal of mischief wrought in England in this way. Persons with an inherited but as yet undeveloped tendency to inebriety had innocently taken reputedly innocuous and useful patent preparations, really containing alcohol or opium or both, and had thus become inebriates by inadvertence. Reformed inebriates also had relapsed from the same cause. Ho threw out the suggestion that the Government might be approached to see if they would insist on the exact composition of any proprietary article of medicine or. medical preparation being printed on the covering or on the bottle. Persons would thus know what they are taking. This would at all events diminish the risk of becoming an inebriate by accident. It was resolved, "That as much inebriety is caused by the usf.i of alcohol and opium under the insiduous form of so-called patent medicines and ' cures ' for intemperance, this society is of opinion that no proprietary medical preparation should be allowed to be sold unless its composition is printed on the cover."

Whilst lecturing amongst you recently (writes our London correspondent), the Single Tax Apostle gave his impressions of Australasia and Australasians so freely that probably you are surfeited with Mr. Henry George's views. He does not seem to have observed the indications of extreme loyalty towards the mother country which the average English globe-trotter deems it right to gush about on the smallest opportunity. On the contrary, Mr. George professes to have been much struck with the fact that the touch between the old country and the new was not nearly so close as he had supposed it to be, or as, in the interests of both countries, one would wish it to be. A family of separate nations is growing up in Australia, and as this growth goes on, Mr. George considers the possibilities of political union with Great Britain will become no closer than with the United States. Imperial Federation, he says, is not thought of, and he detects no immediate probability of Australian Federation. Of course, the single-tax movement is pronounced to be the universal political panacea. Its influence will be sufficient to prevent the further growth of protection in Australia.

Our San Francisco correspondent writes : —L. Mayer, a Chicago attorney, has returned to America from England having organised two companies with a capital of 15,000,000 dollars to invest in American enterprises. The companies will also investigate the status of any American corporation or industry in which English capitalists propose to invest. This is deemed a very important branch of the business inasmuch as on one or two occasions—for instance in the St. Louis breweries, the English buyers have been wofully deceived, while mining investments are almost invariably a dead loss. English capitalists have secured control of the new Window Glass Manufacturers trust which was recently formed at Pittsburg. The combination includes 39 principal firms and 1053 pots out of a total of 1397 in the district.

Among the Southern visitors in town is Mr. Heeles, of the Wellington Woollen Company, who is having a look round on business matters. The Wellington Woollen mill was, like everything else, injuriously affected by the strikes, and shut down for want of coal. Operations have again been resumed, and work going on as usual, through the strike fizzling out. Hr. Heelea leaves for Wellington on Thursday.

The following notices of motion have been tabled for consideration at iiuxt meeting of the City Council : —Mr. Farrell: "That all ratepayers who are paying for water by meter be relieved of the extra charges now made for water closets; in addition to their meter charges." Mr. Dignan, re North Ward improvements, to be carried out during the present season : " 1. Pipe drain in Cnstoms-street as mentioned in the engineer's drainage list submitted last year. 2. Relaying channel in Wyndham-street, from Albert-street to Queen - street. 3. Relaying channel in -street, between Victoria and Darby streets. 4. Formation and asphalting, under the new process, the footpaths of the following streets —Hardinge, Graham, Nelson (south side), Hobson (from Wynd-ham-street to Gleeson's Hotel), Wyndham (between Hobson and Nelson - streets), Chapel Square."

A meeting of the Newton Borough Council took place last evening, Mr. Ambury (Mayor) in the chair. All the councillors were present, save Mr. Porter, who has left for Kuaotunu. The business was of no public interest. A report on the drainage of Mackelvie-street was read, and its consideration postponed till next meeting. Some suggested improvements in Kentstreet were decided on.

The man Davis, injured in the Short-land-street fracas, is nob yet in the opinion of Dr. Wilkins, who is attending him, out of danger. Erysepelas set in, and on Sunday his case seemed very critical, but yesterday a change appeared for the better, the first decided improvement since he was wounded.

The annual meeting of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will bo held in the Chamber of Commerce tomorrow at three p.m. It is to be hoped that this useful society will be encouraged by a large attendance of the genora". public. At the last annual meeting there were more clergymen than laymen present, and that should not be The wanton cruelty which is manifested by the average colonial larrikin to dumb animals is something appalling, and requires checking and suppression at every turn. It is in the power of the public to aid the Society in this matter.

A letter lias been received by Mr. Samuel, of New Plymouth, from Mr. Charles Marvin, of London, with reference to the Taranaki petroleum springs, stating that the syndicate's head driller, Booth, with another expert from Canada, is ready to leave London for New Plymouth in a fow days, taking with them machinery and special tools adapted for Now Zealand oil working. Mr. Adams, oil expert, who was in tljf colony at the beginning of the year, has been in communication with Mr. Booth. Mr. Corkill has been appointed general manager of thtj company in New Zealand.

There are always a number of people on the ratepayers' roll who will not pay their rates until they are threatened with legal proceeding*?, and others will not pay till the case comes into court, when they pay cheerfully, with the court expenses added. The Council officials have never been able to explain the mystery of why this is done, but it is supposed that these dilatory ratepayers do so on the same intelligent rule as tho strikers, namely, that "it is the assertion of a great principle." The City Council collector notifies in another column that he will take legal proceedings without further notice for the recovery of all city rates now due and unpaid.

In some of* the older portions of Parnell rats are now becoming not only numerous but dangerous. Mr. R. Strong, gcfiengrocer, corner of Manukau road and Garfield-street, informs us that during the last month his children, while in bed, have been severely bitten by rats on three separate occasions, two children being bitten on one night. On each occasion the rats attacked the" lobe of the ear, inflicting great pain and drawing a good deal of blood. In these old buildings the rats have so many holes for escape that it is impossible to catch them, especially as they seem too cautious to be taken in traps.

About noon yesterday Constable Mathieson arrested a man in Queen-street named Thomas Purdy, on a charge of being drunk and disorderly. He was running about in his shirt and trousers, and otherwise acting in an eccentric fashion. He has been about tho wharf for some days, and it is supposed his mind has been affected by tho labour troubles.

On Saturday week the Auckland Bowling Green will be formally opened for the season. The green is in splendid order, and all that could be desired by the most fastidious bowler. Additional accommodation has been provided at the pavilion. There have been several additions to the members' roll, and an excellent spirit of good fellowship and harmony pervades the Bowling Club. Altogether the season will open under the most favourable auspices.

Three months' leave of absence has been accorded to the Rev. W. L. Salter, of the Grafton Road circuit, in order to proceed to the Bay of Islands for the benefit of the health of one of the members of his family, a little boy. The lad was suffering from hip disease, but has so far recovered under the medical care of Dr. Wilkins, as to be able to get about again. It is hoped that change of air and aea-bathing will set) him up.

The World's Exposition of 1892, in commemoration of Columbus' great discovery, will not be opened until May, 1893, though the buildings in Chicago are to be dedicated in October 12, 1892. More than half of the £2,000,000 guarantee which the Federal Commission has to be provided with is already subscribed, and the city of Chicago will probably grant another £1,000,000 on condition that it is to be refunded from the receipts. It is proposed to have as much space again as at Paris under cover, and ground of twice the area. It is expected in America that Great Britain and her colonies will take a prominent pare in the Exposition.

The body of a Maori has been found in the Waitara River just 1 ">w the Freezing Works. He has been * for ten days. As he had been in low tor some time it is supposed he comimi/ofcu ouicide.

Mrs. Boor, wife of Dr. *--««• Boor, Medical Superintendent c m Napier Hospital and Asylum, died on Saturday after a three days' illness.

Yesterday Mr. Patterson's cab, which went over the wharf in the accident on Saturday evening, was raised on to the wharf by the aid of one of the Harbour Board cranes. As Mr. Patterson has lost his means of livelihood by the unfortunate affair, his two horses being dro\ ied, Messrs. R. T. Grr a and J. Bainbridge, of Ponsonby, are sending round a few subscription lists in order to raise funds sufficient to put Mr. Patterson in the way of again earning his living. Any donations to the fund left at the Herald Office will be duly acknowledged.

By an advertisement which appears in another column, Dr. Bakewell, in accordance with a promise made some weeks ago, announces that he will give a lecture ou " Leprosy" on Friday next at the Oddfellows Hall, corner of Cook and Grey-streets. Photographs of patients afllicted with leprosy will be shown, and the lecture will include an account of Dr. Bakewell's Tisio to Venezuela, as commissioner from the (Governor of New Zealand to enquire into Dr. Beauperthuy's cure of leprosy, his adventures there while detained by the revolutionary party then in possession of the town of Cumana, his escape, and sea voyage of one hundred and fifty miles in an open canoe along the rock-bound shores of the Gulf or Mexico. After the lecture a discussion will be opened as to the best means of preventing the spread of leprosy in New- Zealand. There will be no charge for admission.

An amusing development of the strike occurred at Wellington on Sunday. In consequence of some dispute with the Primate the choir of St. Paul's absented themselves in the morning and evening, and most of the singing had to be omitted. The action is stated to be a protest against the treatment of Canon Howell.

Work (writes our American correspondent) is going steadily ahead on the Nicaragua Canal, while advices from Panama are that the prospects are definitely brightening. A telegram from official sources at) Bogota, Colombia, states that the President has recommended an eight years' extension of time. The Government will also concede 10,000 hectares of land to carry out the scheme, and in return the company must pay a bonus to the Government of 12,000,000 francs, payable in eight instalments of 1,500,000 francs each. In addition 5,000,000 francs of free privileged shares must be set aside for the Government.

Captain Whitney writes referring to the punishment inflicted on persons for stealing fowls a few days ago, and says :—" Three years ago 1 went to the trouble and expense of importing English wild ducks, at a cost of not less than £1 each, exclusive of carriage. What should be the punishment of parties who are selfish enough to shoot these ducks in Lake Takapuna, and so destroy one ot the most beautiful, perfect, j»--d harmless of all wild birds."

Joseph Reid Dodson, head of the firm ol Dodson and Co., brewers, and an old and respected citizen, died at Nelson, aged 78. He was first Mayor of Nelson, and was reelected to the position for several successive years.

The Southern press is still giving considerable attention to the labour leaders. The Otago Times, of the 3rd instant, devotes an article to Bishop Julius, of Christchurch. It says —" Bishop Julius has no clear understanding of the motive and objects of the strikers, and he can have given only a cursory attention to the moral aspects of the labour question in the colo nies. His reading of the crisis through which we are passing is hardly more intelligent than that of his Baptist brother in Auckland. Pastor Birch's sentiments on the subject were given a fortnight earlier. The Bishop spoke from the pulpit of the Christchurch Cathedral, and the Pastor from the crater of Mount Eden, but beyond this there is little difference between them." The New Zealand Methodist thus comments : —' Pastor Birch's method of dealing with the labour question on a recent Sunday evening in the Tabernacle, seems hardly likely to further any of the interests involved. It is noteworthy that the two ministers in the colony who have prominently identified themselves with the cause of the strikers, are Pastor Birch, of Auckland, and the Rev. W. Saunders, of Moray Place Congregational Church, Dunedin. Both these ministers are comparatively recent arrivals from England, and the conclusion many come to is that the attitude they have taken here is in a large measure influenced by their English experience. The cry raised by the working man in this colony they have regarded as identical with that raised by the impoverished docker in the old country. It is not a little significant here that Mr. 11. 11. Champion, the well-known Socialist, whose knowledge of the case in England is at least equal to that of Mr. Birch or Mr. Saunders, takes an entirely different view of this Australian strike, and emphatically tells the strikers that they have been guilty of an act of supreme folly. Evidently English experience of strikes tells in more ways than one."

Owing to the falling-off of orders, attributed to the strike, the Timaru Woollen Mill will stop the night shift at the end of this week, and the proprietors are considering whether to shut down altogether.

At the Young Men's Christian Association rooms this evening, at half-past seven, Mr. Arthur Bridgewater will give an account of his recent Australian Trip."

There were in the lock-up last night four persons on charges of drunkenness ; William Moseley, en route from Cambridge to the Kohimarama Industrial School, who is committed by the local Bench to that institution till ho is 15 years of age, and to bo brought up in the Wesleyan faith ; Bridget Negus, arrested'by Detective Hughes, on three charges of larceny of a quantity ol goods, property of Matua.

A concert was given in All Saints' Schoolroom last evening, by the choir, assisted by friends, under the oonductorehip of Mr. Edger, in aid of the choir music fund. There was an excellent attendance, and the various items were rendered with great acceptance to the audience. The choir were assisted by Miss Freda Marsden, solo violinist, and Mr. S. Jackson, clarionettist. The programme was a high-class one, and the concert was one of the best that has been given for some time back in connection with the church.

The Auckland Amateur Opera Club have held rehearsals of " The Sorcerer" in the Choral Hall, with the orchestra. The performers are excellent, in regard to both music and acting, and the management are confident that the opera will prove a success. The additions and alterations to the work since last performed here, six years ago, make it scarcely recognisable, so greatly is it improved. The opening performance is to tako place on Monday* November 3.